Find Healthcare Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota

23 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Minnesota. In total, 14,890 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Minnesota.

With all the healthcare programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking. Our analysis looked at 23 schools in Minnesota to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

Our analysis found Rasmussen University - Minnesota to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Minnesota. Located in the small city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 674 students majoring in nursing at Rasmussen University - Minnesota, 13% are male and 87% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Rasmussen University - Minnesota take out $32,326 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $175, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Out of the 23 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Anoka-Ramsey Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Coon Rapids, Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 151 students majoring in nursing at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus, 17% are male and 83% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus carry an average student debt load of $28,625.

Full Nursing at Anoka-Ramsey Community College Report

#3

Lake Superior College

Duluth, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lake Superior College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. Located in the small city of Duluth, LSC is a public college with a small student population.

Women make up 81% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from LSC carry an average student debt load of $34,246.

Read full report on Nursing at Lake Superior College

Out of the 23 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Rochester Community and Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Rochester, Rochester Community and Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

Women make up 74% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Rochester Community and Technical College accumulate an average of around $27,212 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Rochester Community and Technical College

#5

Century College

White Bear Lake, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Century College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. Century College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake.

Women make up 87% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Century College accumulate an average of around $30,422 in student debt.

Read More…

#6

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Ridgewater College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Ridgewater College is a small public school located in the town of Willmar.

Of the 93 students majoring in nursing at Ridgewater College, 8% are male and 92% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Ridgewater College carry an average student debt load of $27,352.

Full Nursing at Ridgewater College Report

With a ranking of #7, Minneapolis Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Minneapolis.

About 80% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 20% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Minneapolis Community and Technical College carry an average student debt load of $29,457.

Read More…

#8

Inver Hills Community College

Inver Grove Heights, MN

Inver Hills Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking. Located in the large suburb of Inver Grove Heights, IHCC is a public school with a small student population.

About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 12% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from IHCC carry an average student debt load of $27,410.

Full Nursing at Inver Hills Community College Report

#9

Normandale Community College

Bloomington, MN

Normandale Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Normandale Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Bloomington.

About 84% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 16% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from Normandale Community College take out $26,807 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Normandale Community College

Northwest Technical College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking. NTC is a small public school located in the remote town of Bemidji.

Women make up 91% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at NTC accumulate an average of around $32,265 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Northwest Technical College Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Iowa 2,966
Missouri 6,840
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976

One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 23 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Healthcare Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited healthcare schools across the U.S.